It's weird that so few people have notices this, but everyone is always talking about prostitutes as sexworkers, people who make money with sex, but aren't pornstars sexworkers as well? In fact, aren't pornstars just exactly the same as prostitutes just with the addition of a camera?
Sure, pornstars have sex with male pornstars, which are also sexworkers, so it's basically two sexworkers having paid sex with each other, but isn't that more like double prostitution?

Then I always wonder why all those rules, myths, lies, statistics, stories, etc. Are always about prostitutes, and never about pornstars? How come in porn there are never Eastern European trafficked women? After all, why only make money with only one client at a time, when you can make money with just shooting one video and selling it to thousands of clients at the same time, right?
And how come clients of prostitutes in countries like Sweden are being criminalized, while clients of pornstars (viewers and producers) aren't? After all, isn't Sweden one of the major porn producers in the world? And how come every rule they apply to sexworkers all over the world, never goes for pornstars?
It's almost as if porn is immune to the stigma and problems the sex industry struggles with. Pornstars aren't being stigmatized as victims like other sexworkers are, even though they could just as well be forced into work as other sexworkers. Don't worry, I'm not implying that pornstars are forced, in fact, I'm implying that a pornstars is just as often forced to work as other sexworkers are, perhaps a little less since other sexwork is illegal or poorly legalized in most countries.

I remember when back in the 90's porn was something shady. Something people didn't talk or ask about. I remember back then there where people saying most pornstars would be forced to perform in front of the camera. Of course, now we know better. Those pornstars aren't forced, heck no! Those pornstars do their job either because they love sex and love making money with it, or because they just want to make money with it. In fact, the reasons to go into porn are largely the same reasons as other sexworkers have to do their job.
The only real difference of course between other sexworkers and pornstars is of course, that pornstars aren't shy to show themselves to the rest of the world, and other sexworkers rely heavily on keeping their identity hidden from their clients. Sure, pornstars use false names, but still, if a family member comes across a video of yours, your completely recognizable, which isn't the case with other sexwork since they usually don't allow pictures or videos unless explicitly stated otherwise.
But there could be the key to the reason why pornstars don't suffer the stigma other sexworkers suffer from. Pornstars aren't camera shy, like other sexworkers are who try to protect their identity. And therefore it's much easier for a pornstar to debunk stories about being forced or trafficking, then other sexworkers. A pornstar can simply state it in front of a camera for the rest of the world to see, while other sexworkers would never do this to keep their identity hidden.
In short, pornstar can simply say publically that people are lying about trafficking in their industry, while for sexworkers this is much more complex. And that's exactly what policy makers are taking advantage of. They know prostitutes can't talk back, and that's why they treat sexwork different from porn, even though it's basically the same thing.

Perhaps this could be the answer as to why porn isn't treated the same way the rest of the sex industry is. Because porn talks back, while the rest of the sex industry rely on privacy, and politicians take advantage of that to criminalize parts in order to 'save us'. After all, why would trafficking happen in every part of the sex industry but porn? Or is it perhaps the case that trafficking is largely happening due to the poor position politics have put prostitutes in, with all their regulating and law making to 'reduce trafficking', which only makes trafficking worse?
Maybe politicians should try to treat the sex industry more like the porn industry, after all, how many pornstars do you know that are forced? How many pornstars do you know that where victims of human trafficking? And funny enough there's hardly any regulation on human trafficking specific to porn, very much unlike in the rest of the sex industry which is always being treated different.
After all, there are many Eastern European girls performing in porn, Russian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czech, etc. How come those girls aren't forced, even though they're being asked to (sometimes) do way more extreme stuff then prostitutes are? But other sexworkers from Eastern Europe would all of the sudden be forced on a grand scale? Is that because all the girls from Eastern Europe who have no trouble to make money with having sex, collectively decided to do porn? Or is it perhaps the case that Eastern European women, just like women from all over the world, do just as much porn and other sexwork?
In short, how come all those Eastern European sexworkers in porn aren't forced, but in other sex industries all of the sudden they are? Isn't that a little weird?

Sexwork is making money with sex, that includes prostitutes and pornstars! Porn is a sex industry, just as much as prostitution is. There is no difference. Then how come all you people stand in line and cheer when a pornstar comes over, and jerk off on her, but whenever you see a prostitute you shy away for her like she's dirty and a sad, poor, exploited victim?

I was thinking about this the other day, how porn stars are really like prostitutes. I have read stories though of women in porn being abused, but of course I don't know how truthful they are, or how common it would be.

In fact, porn industry do a lot more damage to society than prostitution. It's exactly same type of addiction that gambling industry uses for it's customers. Porn rewrite the brain and turns men into useless social individuals. http://yourbrainonporn.com/ explains with scientific studies this aspect.

At least prostitution allows men to interact sexually with a real person.

You're right, silence of the prostitution industry is a huge handicap as we let others to talk for us. Anyway porn, as involves explicit sexual behaviour (a taboo in our society), is too very stigmatised. Ppl involved in porn can usually expect a very bad reaction from their relatives, specially in some families of conservative feelings.

I have appeared in a couple of porn movies and I know the stories of some girls in this industry. Their life it's not easy and they can have a much harder time than prostitutes bcause u can hide ur work as prostitute but not as porn actress. If u get inside this industry u must be ready to lose "friends", expect many relatives to not talk u again anymore and to close many laboral options in ur future. I don't like to say this but it's the truth.

About the traffick stories, as here any immigrant woman engaged in sexwork is -by definition- trafficked, in Spain porn producers choose to work with spanish girls. I don't know how it's running porn business in the Netherlands, but here u can get in trouble for working with girls from abroad. It doesn't matter if she is willing to do it, if if she is very well paid, if she assures that she loves sex )and specially the money earning for doing it) and is not forced. She is an immigrant and our law "protects" her as a "victim".

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Romanian prostitute working in the Red Light District in Amsterdam (De Wallen), speaking out for the truth behind prostitution. Blogging about prostitution, human trafficking, forced prostitution, politics and all the myths surrounding it. Member of PROUD, the Dutch union of sex workers.